What is Your Bar Bill? or would it be?

[MeganGC1983]

But I’ve also hit 15 several times so don’t look to me as a voice of reason. 🤷🏼‍♀️😉

[SNJCruisers]

On 11/23/2021 at 11:52 PM, ray98 said:

 

....but it isn't that simplistic.  A program like Cheers adds value to a vacation for most and enhances the customer experience.  In a high markup sector such as the bar, sometime finding a balance between pure profit and fostering an enhanced experience is what leads to repeat customers that keep spending their money with you for years to come.

Difficult to combat a teetotaler with logic.

[SNJCruisers]

Over the past 9 years since drink packages came out, I have gone on 14 cruises and have had the drink package each and every time.  As an included perk on NCL, Celebrity and MSC and purchased separately on Carnival and Royal.

Prior to the packages, I primarily had alligator arms because of the expense combined with the built in tip compared to what I paid at home.  I currently have 11 cruises booked in 2022 and I have drink packages lined up for 9 of them.  The other two are on our B2B on the Oasis which will probably break the string because of Royal's convoluted dynamic pricing policy, which fluctuates depending upon the ship you're on and the time of year.  

[Jasonsterling]

I did a rough estimate of my Cheers usage versus costs recently. Even on port days it made sense because I drink quite a bit in the evenings and stay up late. Here's a picture for reference. Now I typically have alcohol but Cheers also works for regular coffees/milkshakes at the cafe and bottled water (like for going into port) ect. Anyway maybe this will help with your own consideration. Naturally, being from the U.S. I have it in U.S. dollars, lol.

[TechDiva]

On our last 2 cruises (6-day October 2021 and 7-day September 2019), we did not have the drink package.  For the 2 of us, we spent about $350 total on drinks on the ship.  We had drinks when we wanted but we also don't drink specialty coffees, energy drinks or milkshakes and rarely drink sodas.  We did bring on the 2 bottles of wine, but ended up taking one home because we drank more from the ship bars and in port.  We also had our own cups that we would fill with water on the lido deck, which wasn't an issue since it seemed like we were always there anyway.  We calculated the totals at the end to determine if Cheers would be worth it for us, which it wouldn't be.

 

We are cruising again in June but with our 2 sons this time (23 and 16).  I've considered getting cheers for the oldest son (they have their own cabin).  He doesn't drink alcohol, so my thought process is that I could get drinks from him and the boys could use it for the milkshakes, water, energy drinks and sodas.  I'm just still not sure if it would be worth the trouble.

[dcgrumpy]

For our  cruise last month our bar bill would have been $900-$1000 each. We paid $850 for both of us. I like having the drink package so I can order what I want without thinking about it. We mostly drank specialty drinks that were $10-$13 each. When I don't have a drink package I become cheap. On our last Carnival cruise we didn't have Cheers, so I ended up ordering beer a lot. This cruise I only had one beer, and tried lots of different drinks because if I didn't like it it's no big deal. 

 

My next cruise is Scarlet Lady. There is no drink package, so I have to think before ordering. LOL

[glrounds]

At a beer or two per day (thanks to The State of California), I shouldn't even be responding to this thread. Used to drink heavily, but now at 82 am resigned to be a traveler and not a tourist. I'm fully able to realize that onboard drinking contributes heavily to my cheap cabin pricing and I appreciate it, so slam those babies down, guys. 🙂

 

[Drazil65]

We do not purchase cheers, just not worth it for the both of us.  We buy drinks when we want them, bring our wine on board (for dinner mostly), have milk shakes (husband) and specialty coffee (husband) but bill has never been over $500 onboard (we dont monitor it during cruise).  We do not get drunk (not in our 20s any longer so been there done that) but enjoy ourselves for sure. Just not worth it for us and we have never deprived ourselves, guess its a case by case thing.  

[beerman2]

Last cruise on Carnival our bill would have been $1,200.00. Yes I added up the drinks on our final bill. Paid 900.00 for cheers. + $300 for me.

 

What many people fail to see/understand is it also gives one the opportunity to TRY something different without the guilt of having to drink it. Don’t like it pitch it and get something different.

 

Cruises aren’t everyday life, enjoy expand your horizons have a Bailey’s-and coffee/ Mimosas or 2 at breakfast.

 

The I have x amount of port days excuse is lame, you are still ON the ship 7-8 hours after the port day is over.

[CMOTO]

We have have done both ways, with and without!!

To me it's pretty easy to decide...... if you drink then it will be a good purchase if you don't drink then its not.  I don't know why people want to bash the Cheer's,(not saying OP is bashing)for the ones who only drink 1-2 alcoholic drinks and no soda then this is not worth it to them but if your someone who likes to drink and try new things and you also enjoy soda's then this could save you money. 

For us, Carnival is definitely losing money on us.  And no we don't get stumbling down drunk.  We have a bloody mary in the morning then a couple drinks pool side, then a couple drinks before dinner maybe a glass of wine with dinner and then depending on if we do a show or comedy show maybe a night cap.  Along with a lot of waters and a few sodas throughout the day we more than get "our monies worth".... its not for everyone but for some it is!!

[CheersPkg4Us]

On our latest trip, a 6 day on the Horizon Sept/Oct 21, I finally convinced the couple sailing with us to get the Cheers package. Boy, was they glad they did. When they got their printout in their mailbox they realized what I was telling them. 8 beers/ 6 mixed drinks and you break even. Not counting the soft drinks, bottled water and the large 1.5L bottles at dinner, the Gatorade, milkshakes and specialty coffees. Plus not having the dreaded " I would like to have another drink but not sure how much I've spent today blues". My wife was 6-7 alcoholic drinks per day with a high of 10 one day. I hit the limit everyday except the last night and that was 14. When you order Cheers, you get bubbles also. So for all of us, it was a no-brainer. 

[SNJCruisers]

14 hours ago, TechDiva said:

I've considered getting cheers for the oldest son (they have their own cabin).  He doesn't drink alcohol, so my thought process is that I could get drinks from him and the boys could use it for the milkshakes, water, energy drinks and sodas.  I'm just still not sure if it would be worth the trouble.

Doubly wrong.  You're contemplating getting it for your oldest son so he can share his alcoholic beverages 🥃🍹🍸🍺with you and his non-alcoholic drinks  with his brother.  

[SNJCruisers]

4 hours ago, CheersPkg4Us said:

 I hit the limit everyday except the last night and that was 14. When you order Cheers, you get bubbles also. So for all of us, it was a no-brainer. 

Six day cruise 89/90. 👏👍

[TechDiva]

8 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Doubly wrong.  You're contemplating getting it for your oldest son so he can share his alcoholic beverages 🥃🍹🍸🍺with you and his non-alcoholic drinks  with his brother.  

Um, thanks, but I'm quite sure that is what I said.  But, thank you for rewording it.

[VermeulT]

On 11/23/2021 at 11:06 PM, Colorado Beach Bum said:

I’ve done both and it usually comes out way better to have a drink package.  Have just paid as I went a couple of times cause the wife doesn’t get her monies worth with cheers. If both drink in the 7-10 drinks a day then cheers is the way to go. 

 

On 11/28/2021 at 11:30 PM, MeganGC1983 said:

All of this. Before Cheers! I would try to talk myself out of drinks and I don’t want to do that on vacation. Once it’s paid for, I never look back. 

 

On 11/24/2021 at 5:56 AM, sanger727 said:

Whether or not it’s a ‘deal’ entirely depends on you. We have cruised with or without drink packages and having them does change how we cruise.

1. Without drink package - always bring on the two bottles of wine, bring a refillable water bottle to refill at buffet, drink very little soda, drink more in ports, have regular coffee, drink less on ship - bill will be under $200

 

2. with drink package - don’t bother bringing wine or refillable bottle, grab bottles of water as we go, get more sodas when out and about on ship, drink less in ports, have cappuccinos and lattes more, have more day drinking afternoons and drinks around dinner time 

 

 

I think the above sums it up:

• If both of you are drinkers - it's not worth it.
• The "hassle" of bringing wine/soda/water with you while boarding.
• The freedom to not obsess about how much you are spending once on board.

[eltigre]

Just wondering, I am Canadian & purchased a cruise for hubby & I final payment due Dec 5th. My sister is a US citizen in Texas & is an avid Carnival cruiser, who receives many perks. Could she purchase a fun shop  cheers package  as a gift at a reduced rate?  Are there any deals available for frequent cruisers when purchasing it for someone else?  

[leitmotif]

I'll have to post up after I return from my cruise. I drink a lot and will be with friends who also drink a lot. I bought the package just so I don't have to think about it. It's done, it is paid for and the rest of what I saved for the trip can go toward other things like gifts since I get back xmas eve.... ugh. 15 a day is a lot but we'll see how it goes. Out of sight out of mind, don't have to even think about the bill. I guess unless I start getting into the higher end whiskies and have to pay for those.

[famof4togo]

Our first cruise the bar tab was more than our cost to cruise so since then we have always bought Cheers.   We do get our money's worth...usually a specialty coffee in the am, bloody Mary or mimosa with breakfast, frozen drinks by pool, a cocktail with dinner and a few in the evening at the show, casino etc....but in addition to that we also enjoy not thinking about the bill or being afraid to try a new drink in case we don't care for it etc....We also drink a ton of water so probably get like 10 water bottles a day too.  I tell people if you plan to drink more than 5 alcoholic beverages a day then you should go for it.

 

Will they still give you a bottle of water when you order a drink and not count that as two drinks?

[ISHCruising]

We have done two Carnival cruises: 1 with, and the next one without.

 

Firstly, I would not say we regretted the Cheers package.  But like a goldfish, you will grow to the size of your bowl 🙂 I think it's human nature to want to get your monies worth, and therefore you will, whether you typically drink milkshakes or drink at breakfast or not!  I will say, we experienced VERY long waits at the coffee bar, and if you're on a time schedule for port days, this can be frustrating.  I don't like to wait in lines on vacation 🙂

 

Our second cruise we brought on the allowable wine, had wine with every dinner, and a couple cocktails/beer poolside.  We also took advantage of the promotions including happy hour at the red frog bar (the fish bowls were like $5).  We didn't pinch pennies, ordered what we liked at the Alchemy, moderately priced wine and came well under the Cheers package.  

[bigrednole]

We came out ahead every day with the drink package. It is not hard to hit that $50 mark.

[beerman2]

6 hours ago, TechDiva said:

Um, thanks, but I'm quite sure that is what I said.  But, thank you for rewording it.

Whether reworded or not the point being made is the “sharing” which is not what Cheers is intended for.

 

Buy 1 package and looks like at least 3 people using it.😯😯😯

[TechDiva]

4 minutes ago, beerman2 said:

Whether reworded or not the point being made is the “sharing” which is not what Cheers is intended for.

 

Buy 1 package and looks like at least 3 people using it.😯😯😯

Got it. Thanks for the information.

[WorkerBee74]

On 11/23/2021 at 9:36 PM, eltigre said:

We never get a deal on the Cheers package  and being Canadian figure a 22% exchange rate.

So on a 7 day at $63.50 per day times 2 people times 7 days say $890 to round off. Average drink price $10 now, I'm thinking, that's 89 drinks in 7 days or 6 drinks a day per person.  Three to four port days for 8 hours each are removed from the equation.

 

So if my math is right, is it still a good plan to get a Cheers Pkg?

What is your or bar bill? Or what would it be if you didn't have the package?

 

So my thought with these is sure, I could choose the $10 drink, but if I have the Cheers package, I can treat myself to the BEST drink - the Grey Goose, the Flor De Cana 18 year, get crazy at Alchemy, have better wine, etc.

 

I'd say if you're a beer drinker, unless you really pack em back, it wouldn't be worth it.  But if you want to treat yourself to the best quality wine/cocktails and spirits, it's easily worth it knowing that those drinks are always even more than $10 each.

 

EDIT: I forgot, we also like the foofie coffees too, so that really makes it worth it!

Edited November 30, 2021 by WorkerBee74

[SNJCruisers]

On 11/29/2021 at 9:24 AM, TechDiva said:

I've considered getting cheers for the oldest son (they have their own cabin).  He doesn't drink alcohol, so my thought process is that I could get drinks from him and the boys could use it for the milkshakes, water, energy drinks and sodas.  I'm just still not sure if it would be worth the trouble.

 

22 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Doubly wrong.  You're contemplating getting it for your oldest son so he can share his alcoholic beverages 🥃🍹🍸🍺with you and his non-alcoholic drinks  with his brother.  

 

13 hours ago, TechDiva said:

Um, thanks, but I'm quite sure that is what I said.  But, thank you for rewording it.

I did not reword a thing.  You clearly stated that you were going to get Cheers for your oldest son.  He was then going to share with you his alcoholic drinks and share his non alcoholic drinks with his younger brother.  It's bad enough to break the rules and share Cheers among two people, but to share it among three just takes it to a new (low) level.

[SNJCruisers]

6 hours ago, TechDiva said:

Got it. Thanks for the information.

I will infer that you think that rules do not apply to you.  Buy Cheers for your son, and have have him feed you your Pina Coladas and his brother his sodas and milkshakes.  Hopefully you'll get caught.